Royce Lingerie

Royce Lingerie

Oxfordshire-based Royce Lingerie was established in 1991 by a husband and wife team to design and sell wire-free bras. Having worked in the lingerie industry they spotted a gap in the market for this product. Its first venture was in nursing bras but the company has since expanded into a full range of lingerie while sticking to its wirefree roots. There are 20 staff in the Oxfordshire office with agents around the UK and the world, including in the USA, Italy and Norway. The range of products are made overseas but is designed at Royce’s HQ in Oxfordshire.

The Brief

Royce Lingerie operates two websites – a retail site that allows consumers to buy direct from the company and a trade website for more than 500 small, independent stores that stock the companies products. Both sites were previously functional but basic e-commerce websites. The trade site allowed businesses to order online and check stock levels but it offered very little else in terms of functionality.

The brief to ACUTEC was to improve the look, feel and functionality of both websites – particularly allowing trade clients access to more sales support and information. ‘There was nothing ‘wrong’ with the websites previously,’ said Charlotte Gregory, of Royce Lingerie, ‘but the time was right to bring them up-to-date and to offer retail and trade customers even more choice through the web.’

‘The small independent retailers love it! They say it is one of the best trade order websites that they use…’

What ACUTEC Did

ACUTEC has redeveloped Royce Lingerie’s two sites: www.royce-lingerie.co.uk and trade.royce-lingerie.co.uk and they are both now more reflective of the branding and style of the company’s latest brochure. The two sites now have much more depth thanks to the system created by ACUTEC, particularly the trade site which has much greater functionality for clients.

Businesses can now check their accounts information via the secure website, which has specific login details for each client. They can also download posters and access discounts and offers. ‘The new sites have been very well received,’ said Charlotte. ‘The small independent retailers love it! They say it is one of the best trade order websites that they use. We’ve already seen an increase in sales via the website which is very positive news, even if they are orders that would have previously been made over the phone. It is a much more efficient way of operating and frees up staff from the telephones.’

Royce Lingerie has already been in talks with ACUTEC about its next project. ‘We have been talking to them about a new system for larger retailers such as John Lewis, who stock our products. It will allow their customers to order via their websites, the order comes through to us and we dispatch direct to the customer. That work is ongoing but ACUTEC did such great work for us on the website it made perfect sense to talk to them about this project too.’

Summary

Websites – particularly in the retail sector – are now about so much more than just offering information or a ‘shop window’ for the business. They now offer an efficient way to sell direct to both the retail and trade sector and Royce, through the work it has done with ACUTEC, is a perfect example of how the two can work. Not only that, but trade clients can login and find out much more information about their account which is an additional service which can only benefit Royce in the long-run.